One more worker dies, SN Corporation claims gas leak caused fire

The SN Corporation shipbreaking yard authority today (9 September) claimed that the recent accident at their yard was not due to an explosion, but rather a gas leak from an oil filter.

The explosion, which occurred in the pump house of a mostly dismantled ship on Saturday morning sparked a fire that left 12 officials and workers critically injured.

One of the victims succumbed to his injuries at the burn unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital yesterday morning. Saiful Azad, production manager of SN Corporation, confirmed the death of Mohammad Khairul, a cleaner at the yard.

Earlier on Saturday night, safety manager of the yard Ahmad Ullah succumbed to his injuries while being transported to Dhaka from Chattogram Medical College Hospital for advanced treatment.

Six others remain in critical condition at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Three of the four workers admitted to Chattogram Medical College Hospital have been released after recovery.

Meanwhile, the yard authority made their statement when the probe committee formed to investigate the incident visited the scene today. The committee was led by Shah Mohammad Helal Uddin, additional secretary of the Ministry of Industry.

The members inspected both the inside and outside of the ship involved in the accident and inquired about various aspects of the ship's rescue and safety procedures.

While briefing the probe committee, Captain Mahbubur Rahman, consultant for SN Corporation, stated that more than 80% of the 8,000-tonne ship had already been dismantled.

"A pump room and some parts of the engine room were being cut on Saturday morning. At that time, the safety manager, safety inspector, and the ship in charge of the factory were supervising the work in the pump room. Five workers were cleaning and opening pipes in the pump room. In the adjacent engine room, a cutter man and his two helpers were cutting the ship with a gas cutter," Mahbub said.

He added, "When one of the workers opened a pipe of the oil filter, gas leaked with significant force and came into contact with sparks from the gas cutter, resulting in a fire in the pump room."

According to Mahbub, the room had sufficient ventilation, and the leaked gas would normally have evacuated through the ventilation holes.

However, a spark fell into the room through a ventilation hole, which caused the fire. He underscored that there were no management lapses, as the safety manager and inspector were present at the scene.

"It was a simple mistake by a worker who opened the oil filter and could not handle the gas pressure," he added.

However, the probe committee head Helal Uddin said that conducting activity that involves the use of heat, flames, or sparks and cold work in adjacent rooms was a management lapse that contributed to the fire, which has now claimed two lives and left others injured.

Speaking to journalists, Helal Uddin said, "We identified both technical and management lapses behind this devastating accident. All our findings will be detailed in the report we will submit by Tuesday. We will also propose several recommendations to prevent such accidents in the future."

Abdul Malek also a member of the investigation team, said that if the workers had been wearing full personal protective equipment during this risky work, the severity of the injuries could have been reduced.

Ministry of Industry Joint Secretary Pratap Chandra Biswas and Deputy Secretary Sanjay Kumar Ghosh, Department of Environment Chattogram Deputy Director Mozahidur Rahman, Research Officer Ashraf Uddin, Department of Inspection of Factories and Establishments Deputy Inspector General Shipan Chowdhury, and Fire Service and Civil Defense Assistant Director Abdul Malek were also present during the visit.